Sluice concentrator



June 23, 1931. A. H. STEBBINS SLUICE CONCENTRATOR Filed April 28, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet June 23, 1931. A. H. STEEBINS SLUICE CONCENTRATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 28, 1927 lNVENTOR; %x7/m BY mayv ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1931 P AT l @Ff ALBERT H. STEBBI NS, 015 LOS ANGIE-LES, CALIFORNIA p SLUICE CONCENTRATORV Application filed April as, 1927. Serial No. 187,372.

This invention relates to a novel form of sluice in which water bearing the materials to be separated is conducted through a pipe to effect a gravity separation of the materials.

Sluices or sluice boxes as commonly employed heretofore to separate ore havethe form of a relatively long trough through which the ore is carried by a stream of water. Rifiles or projections are provided in the bottom of the trough to'catch the heavier I particles that settle to the bottom, and the flow'through the sluice box is periodically arrested in order that the heavier particles 1 or values collected in the trough may be removed. r v

In accordance with the present invention water bearing the materials to be separated is conducted through a pipe which may be called a sluice pipe and the construction is such that a gravity separation of the material conveyed by the stream is effected. In this construction the heavier particles are not caught in pockets or arrested by riflies as has been customary in the sluice 7 box, employed heretofore, but the materials that differ in specific gravity arrange themselves at different elevations within the flowing stream, and as a result the desired separation of the materials may be effected by drawing off different horizontal portions or sections of the stream at different elevations through which water bearing the materials to be separated is conducted so that a gravity separation of the materials takes place within the stream, and in means for removing from the pipe through differently elevated outlets the water and materials traveling in different horizontal planes of the stream.

Another feature 'ofthe invention resides in the novel construction of the sluice pipe One important feature of the present i n-' whereby different portions of the pipe are given different configurations in cross-section to promote gravity separation of the materials within the stream of water.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the construction whereby jets of water or other fluid are forced upwardly through the lower wall of the sluice pipe to promote separation of the materials.

Other features of the invention and novel combination of parts in addition to the above will be hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate good-practical forms of the invention.

In the drawings Fig. l is a perspective view of a sluice concentrator constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the discharge end portion of the sluice pipe of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, l, 5 and 6 are sectional views taken on the lines 33; M; 55 and 66 respectively of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view through a modified type of sluice concentrator;

Fig. 8 is an end view of the discharge end portion of Fig. 1;

Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional views taken on the lines 99 and 1010 respectively of Fig. 7 and Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view through the discharge end portion of a further modified type of sluice concentrator.

In accordance with the present invention'tho separation of the materials being treated is effected within the sluice pipe 10 as they are carried through this pipe by a stream of water. The size, shape and length of the pipe 10 may be varied as desired or as may be necessary to meet the particular requirements of materials being treated, but in most cases the pipe should be relatively long to allow the materials suspended in the water su cient time to work either up down within the stream in accordance with their differences in specific gravity.

In the construction shown the pipe 10 has a flattened construction near its material 7 receiving end as willbe apparent from Figs.

land, 3, and the shape of the pipe is grad- V' ually, changed in the directionot. its length,

as will be apparent from the sectional views of Fig. 1. .The discharge end portion of the pipe 10 is shown as tall and narrow incrosssection. The pipe 10 is given the flattened.

construction shown near its feed end in order that the heavier particles will need to settle only a short distance to reach the lower wall of the tube, and this'pipe iszgi'ven the tall narrow construction near its discharge end shown in Fig. 6, to promote the collection ofthe'materials in different elevated positions within the stream of water, and also to] facllitate the-removal of the water from the pipe through discharge openings arranged at 'diii'erent elevations from the bottom wall ofthe pipe. 29

V The orewhich has been comm-inuted or crushed and the water may. be mixed by any suitable means before'they are delivered to the pipe 10, or they may be conveyed 1 separately tothe feed hopper 11 provided at the upper end of the feed pipe 12 that is attached tothe flattened end ofthe sluice pi 10. In the construction shownthe water is supplied to the feed hopper 11 by the pipe 13 and the ore or other materials to be separated is delivered to the feed hopperby the pipe 14. g

It may be desirable to vary the inclina tion of the pipe 10 to increase or decrease the water pressure therein and also to vary the a tendency of the particles to settle in'the pipe. The hopper 11 is therefore'shown as having the trunnions 15 journaled inbearing blocks 16 supported by the posts 17 The opposite endof the pipe 10 may-be adjusts ably supported by thev suspension rods 18 secured to the beam 19 by the adjustable nuts 20. From the construction so far described it will be seen that the materialsfundergo a gravity separation as they travel with the waterlengthwise of the pipe lOand that the heavier particles will collect inthat portion ofthe stream lying near the lower side of the pipe, while the lighter particles will remain suspended in the stream above the heavier particles orconcentrates. Asaresult'efthis gravity separation of the 'materials conveyed by the stream, the desired concentration of the materials may beelfectecl byremoving from the pipe 10 through dit 'ferent outlets the graded materials travel- 21 arranged to form the discharge passages 22. The water and the heavy materials traveling near the lower wall 23 of the pipe :will obviously enter the lowermost passage 22 While the slightly lighter particles will enter the next higher; palssage 22 and the lightest and finest particles will'enter the passage lying near the upper wall 24 of the pipe. The water and materials that enter the different passages 22 pass clownwardly through the dischargespouts 25 into the transverselyextending pipes 26 which discharge into separatelsettling tanks'27. Thepipes 26ers, preferably connected to the tanks 27 byfthe flexible pipes 29 each of which is connectedto a pipe 30 for one of the'tanks. -The flexible connections 29 per; .mit the vertical adjustment or" the discharge endof the pipe 10 above mentioned.

As a result of the sluice construction described t 1e concentrates orvahieswill be separated from the lighter mater als and will collect in the concentrate settling tank 27 lying at their ght-hand end of the ser es of tanks shown in Fig. 1, and thelighter materials will collectfin accordance with their size and-specific gravity in the; other tanks 27. The lightestand finestparticles will collectin the tank at the left-hand end of-the series shown inFigrI. V

t may be desirable to control the volume of water dischargedfthrough eachof the passages 22,-but the means for controlling this how should be'so constructed that the discharge passages will not become clogged through the accumulation of the materials therein. ThlS is accomphshed 1n accordance with the present invention by providing each passage with a discharge spout which is large enough to carry themajor portion of the water that is delivered to the spout by its-passage 22. The remaining portion of the water that enters a par icular; passage 22 is conducted to'tjhe pipe 26throughla by? pass pipe 31 provided with a regulating valve82, and the upper endof each byepass' pipe is located tooneside of the main pas-,

sage within aYspout-25 and is providedwith a guardplate 3'3 whichpreventsthe muddy deposits from entering a pipe 31 to clog the;

same. In this manner the volume. of water passing through a conduit 22 may be controlled to a certain degree byadjusting the valve 32 while danger of the clogged is prevented.

In some case it may be desirable to pro mote the separation of the materials by fore. ing jets'ofwater upwardly through .thelower side of the sluice pipe 1O, and' means to this end is Sl1OWI1 1l1;Flgw7 wherein the lower side of the pipe 10 is provided, with apertures] 1r parts becoming 33 through which'jets of water are torced 7 from a pressurechamber El l formed byproe vidingthe receptacle 35 a the lower side of the pipe 10.] Water under 'pressure is sup;

plied to the receptacle by a pipe 36 leading from the supply tank 37. Should air v accumulate in the pipe 10 it may escape I that the lighter materials traveling near the upper wall of the pipe 10 will be the first v to escape through the passage 40 and pipe 41 r i into a settling tank 42 and the heavier particles will be the last to escape from the pipe 10. I

From the foregoing it will be seen that the separation of the material may be car- I ried on continuously and that it is unnecessary to stop the operation from time to time and remove the values as is customary in the trough type of sluice box. Furthermore, the materials are separated in a number of different grades comprising values, middlings v and tailings. The size of the pipe 10 may be decreased slightly toward its discharge end to cause the water to travel at an uniform speed through the length of the pipe and the separation of the material effected will be primarily in accordance with the differences in specific gravity but to some degree in accordancewith the size of the particles.

What is claimed is 1. A sluice concentrator comprising in combination, a sluice pipe closed from the point of feed to the points of discharge and adapted to have a stream of water bearing the materials to be separated forced therethrough under a maintained head pressure and constructed to promote a gravity'stratification of the materials within the flowing stream so that materials differing in specific gravity will remain suspended in difi'erent vertically disposed portions of the stream moving through the pipe, settling receptacles, and partitions extending across said pipe near its discharge end and arranged one above the other to form a series of discharge conduits leading to said receptacles and each 7 conduit being adapted to carry off at an undiminished rate of flow the entire volume of water that enters the space between the adjacent partitions of a conduit to thereby avoid interminglin of the materials of the different sections of the stream adjacent the entrance to the conduits.

2. A sluice concentrator, comprising in combination, a sluice pipe closed from the.

point of feed to the polnts of discharge and adapted to have a stream of water bearing the materials to be separated forced therethrough under a maintained head pressure and constructed'to promote a gravity stratification of the materials within the flowing stream so that materials differing in specific gravity will remain suspended in different vertically disposed portions of the stream moving through the pipe, settling receptacles, means for directing jets of water upwardly through the lower wall of said pipe to promote separation of the materials, and partitions extending across said pipe near its discharge end and arranged one above the other to form a series of discharge conduits leading to said receptacles and each conduit being adapted to carry off at an undiminished rate of flow the entire volume of water that enters the space between the adjacent partitions of a conduit to thereby avoid intermingling of the materials of the different sections of the stream adjacent the entrance to the conduits.

, In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT H. STEBBINS. 

